MONTEGRIDOLFO, A VILLAGE BUILT AS A MEDIEVAL FORTRESS

Montegridolfo, a village built as a medieval fortress

Itinerary: Montegridolfo

Montegridolfo is a restored medieval village, built as a fortress, on the border between Emilia Romagna and Marche

Montegridolfo (pic n°1) is located on the border between Emilia Romagna and Marche. Over the centuries, this village has suffered the influence of the Duchy of Montefeltro and Malatesta, venue of frequent military battles. For this exact reason, Montegridolfo was designed and built as a rectangular fortress, with a tower (pic n°4) overlooking the walls.

The charming landscape around Montegridolfo is made of the gentle hills that run down to the plain and the Adriatic Sea. The elegant structures and the historic buildings of the village are restored with painstaking care so that today Montegridolfo is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Romagna. The beautiful main entrance (pic n°1) of the castle of Montegridolfo was built during the Middle Ages when many fortresses were built in this region as strongholds to dominate the whole valley.

Thanks to the detailed restorations, Montegridolfo is one of the best-preserved villages in Italy, where the deep color of the bricks contrasts with the green color of the nearby hills. The Castle (pic n°2), now houses the Town Hall, has entirely preserved its original appearance. You can breathe the ancient charm atmosphere everywhere in this town while walking along the silent streets (pic n°3) or visiting its churches and palaces.

Do not miss visiting the arched door, the old chapel of the castle and the Church of San Rocco (pic n°6), with some important frescoes depicting the Madonna and the Child.

Church of San Pietro, rebuilt in 1929 on the ancient ruins of a Roman building is another important place of worship. Here you can admire a fresco of considerable artistic value depicting a crucifix.

Another place of worship is the Shrine of Beata Vergine delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace), built in the eighteenth century on the ruins of a Medieval church, in memory of some miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Inside, there is an interesting canvas depicting the apparition of the Virgin, painted by Pompeo Morganti Fano. The canvas is an extremely important artifact, because you can see the castle of Montegridolfo and its landscape on the background.

Some pics of Montegridolfo:

Montegridolfo (pic n°1); The Castle, now home to the Town Hall (pic n°2); The silent streets (pic n°3; )Montegridolfo Fortress with tower (pic n°4); View (pic n°5); Church of San Rocco (pic n°6);